Van Wassenaer is the name of an old
Dutch noble family. It was first mentioned in the
county of Holland
The County of Holland was a State of the Holy Roman Empire and from 1433 part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading province of the Dutch Republic, of which it remained a part ...
on November 3, 1200. They are one of the few original noble families from
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
that has survived to this day. Members of the family carry the title of
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
or
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
.
Origin of the name
The family was already noble from earliest times ("
Uradel
(, German: "ancient nobility"; adjective or ) is a genealogical term introduced in late 18th-century Germany to distinguish those families whose noble rank can be traced to the 14th century or earlier. The word stands opposed to ''Briefadel'', ...
"). According to family legend, the name may be taken from the crescent (''wassende'') moon on the family
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
, borrowed from an
Arabian
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...
banner that a member of the van Wassenaer family obtained while on a
crusade
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...
. According to some family archives, Wassenaar means Wasser Herren, Sea Lords/Kings, which had been a traditional title that the invading Romans (under
Caligula
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...
) had recognized while destituting the kings of
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
.
History of the family
![Zegel met wapen Dirk I van Wassenaer 1226](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Zegel_met_wapen_Dirk_I_van_Wassenaer_1226.jpg)
The founding father of the Wassenaer family was Philip, who lived in the early 13th century, and owned lands in
Wassenaar
Wassenaar (; population: in ) is a municipality and town located in the province of South Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands.
An affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies north of that city on the N44/A44 highway near the Nort ...
. He was a vassal of
William I, Count of Holland
William I (c. 1167 – 4 February 1222) was count of Holland from 1203 to 1222. He was the younger son of Floris III and Ada of Huntingdon.
Early life
William was born in The Hague, but raised in Scotland. He participated in the Third Crusa ...
who took part in the
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...
and the
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade (1217–1221) was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by al-Adil, brother of Sala ...
.
Wassenaer branch
Philip's son Dirk I founded the branches ''van Wassenaer'', ''van Cranenburch'' and ''van Groenevelt''. A seal of Dirk I of 1226 shows a different coat-of-arms than his later coat of arms, but the crescent may have served as
crest
Crest or CREST may refer to:
Buildings
*The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York
*"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York
*Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
at the time. The ''van Wassenaer'' branch was made
Burgrave
Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from german: Burggraf, la, burgravius, burggravius, burcgravius, burgicomes, also praefectus), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especial ...
s of
Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
by the
Counts of Holland
The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century.
House of Holland
The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia (Dijkstra suggests th ...
in 1340. In 1544 this branch extinguished.
Duvenvoorde branch
Dirk's younger brother Filips received the
Kasteel Duivenvoorde
Duivenvoorde Castle ( nl, Kasteel Duivenvoorde) is a castle in the town of Voorschoten, South Holland, in the Netherlands. It was first mentioned in 1226, making it one of the oldest castles in South Holland.
The castle is remarkable in that it ...
in 1226 and founded the branch ''van Duvenvoirde''. His son Arend I van Duvenvoorde (†1268) continued the main Van Duvenvoorde branch. (which in the 17th century resumed the name ''van Wassenaer'').
Polanen Branch
![Van Polanen wapen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Van_Polanen_wapen.svg)
The Polanen branch descended from a younger brother of the Van Duvenvoorde branch. Arend I van Duvenvoorde had a younger brother Jan van Duvenvoirde (noted 1226-1248). He is the founding father of the Van Polanen branch. His son Philips III van Duivenvoorde (c. 1248 – after 1301) received the fief of Polanen (near
Monster, South Holland
Monster is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about south-west of The Hague.
The village of Monster has a population of around 11,580.Statistics Netherlands (CBS)''Statline: Kern ...
) in 1295. His son Jan I van Polanen (ca. 1285 – 1342) then named himself ''van Polanen''. In the early phases of the
Hook and Cod wars
The Hook and Cod wars ( nl, Hoekse en Kabeljauwse twisten) comprise a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over the title of count of Holland, but some have argued that the u ...
, the Van Polanen family, and their bastard
Willem van Duvenvoorde
Willem van Duvenvoorde or van Duvoorde (1290–1353), also known as Willem Snikkerieme, was a 14th-century nobleman and financier who served as a financial and political adviser to four successive counts and countesses of Hainaut and Holland.
Lif ...
led the
Hook faction. See:
House of Polanen
The Van Polanen family are a noble family that played an important role in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. By inheriting the vast properties of the Polanen family, the House of Nassau in 1403 became a landowner in the Netherlands for the f ...
The Van Polanen branch played an important role later on. It was through the marriage of
Johanna van Polanen
Johanna van Polanen (also spelled as ''Jehenne''; 10 January 1392 – 15 May 1445) was a Dutch noblewoman. She was the daughter of John III of Polanen, Lord of Breda, and his wife, Odilia of Salm. The House of Polanen was a side branch of the ...
with
Engelbert I of Nassau
Engelbert I of Nassau (, in Dillenburg3 May 1442, in Breda) was a son of Count John I of Nassau-Siegen and Countess Margaret of the Mark, daughter of Count Adolph II of the Marck.
Early years
Engelbert of Nassau was a student in Cologne, ...
, that the
House of Nassau
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count o ...
first gained territories in the Netherlands, namely
Breda
Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...
. Much later this fact, among others, led to the
House of Orange-Nassau
The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...
's rise to the ruling dynasty of the country.
Other branches
The Duvenvoirde branch ended with Jacoba Maria van Wassenaar, baroness of Torck (1709–1771) whose descendants in the female line, the barons
Schimmelpenninck van der Oye, still today own Kasteel Duivenvoorde.
De burcht leiden 2003.jpg, Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
Castle
Kasteel Duivenvoorde 015.jpg, Kasteel Duivenvoorde
Duivenvoorde Castle ( nl, Kasteel Duivenvoorde) is a castle in the town of Voorschoten, South Holland, in the Netherlands. It was first mentioned in 1226, making it one of the oldest castles in South Holland.
The castle is remarkable in that it ...
File:2010-04-25-breda-by-RalfR-12.jpg, Breda
Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...
Castle
File:Kasteel Twickel.JPG, Twickel Castle
Jacob II van Wassenaer Obdam (1645–1714) married Adriana Sophia von
Raesfeld
Raesfeld () is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 10 km south of Borken and 30 km east of the Dutch border.
Raesfeld's landmark is the moated castle ...
in 1676, who inherited Twickel Castle near
Delden
Delden is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel and, since 2001, in the municipality of Hof van Twente. It received city rights in 1333. Twickel Castle is a famous landmark near Delden.
Before it became a part of Hof van Twente in 2001, Del ...
. The branch ''van Wassenaer Opdam'' was elevated to the rank of (non-ruling)
imperial count
Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...
s in 1711. This branch extinguished in 1850 with Marie Cornélie van Wassenaer Obdam (1799–1850) who left the castle to her children, barons ''van Heeckeren van Kell'', who took on the name ''van Heeckeren van Wassenaer''. Baroness Marie Amélie van Heeckeren van Wassenaer, née countess van Aldenburg
Bentinck (1879–1975), gave the castle to her family foundation in 1953. It is now administrated by the heirs of her grand nephew, count Christian zu
Castell-Rüdenhausen
Castell-Rüdenhausen was a County in the region of Franconia in northern Bavaria of the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and ...
(1952–2010).
Jacob van Wassenaer, Lord of Voorschoten, Duivenvoorde and Veur (1649–1707), married Jacoba van Lyere, heiress of
Katwijk
Katwijk (), also spelled Katwyk, is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland, which is situated in the mid-western part of the Netherlands.
The Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine") river flows through the town and into the North Se ...
, thus founding the branch ''van Wassenaer tot Catwijck'' which is still existing. Furthermore, the castles of Hoekelum and Nederhemert were owned by Wassenaer family members until the late 20th century.
At the beginning of the 19th century, all family members were granted the title of baron in the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
, national_anthem = )
, image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg
, map_width = 250px
, image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png
, map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale
, capital = ...
.
Famous scions of the House of Wassenaer
* , the 15th century
Hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
-favouring mayor of
Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
and viscount of Leiden.
* (1483-1523), in the service of the Habsburgs, Order of the Golden Fleece and last viscount of Leiden.
*
Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam
Jacob, Banner Lord of Wassenaer, Lord Obdam, Hensbroek, Spanbroek, Opmeer, Zuidwijk and Kernhem (1610 – 13 June 1665) was a Dutch nobleman who became lieutenant admiral, and supreme commander of the navy of the Dutch Republic. The name ''Obd ...
, the 17th century
admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
.
*
Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer, the 18th century
diplomat
A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
.
Gallery
File:Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer-Obdam door George de Marees 1697-1776.jpg, Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer-Obdam as painted by George de Marees
File:Coat of Arms Van Duvenvoorde & Van Wassenaer Obdam (enriched).png, Wassenaer coat of arms
File:Blason famille van Duvoorde.svg, Coat of arms of the van Duvenvoorde family (or van Duvoorde)
File:Blason Guillaume van Duvoorde.svg, Coat of arms of Willem van Duvenvoorde
Willem van Duvenvoorde or van Duvoorde (1290–1353), also known as Willem Snikkerieme, was a 14th-century nobleman and financier who served as a financial and political adviser to four successive counts and countesses of Hainaut and Holland.
Lif ...
(or van Duvoorde)
See also
*
Wassenaar
Wassenaar (; population: in ) is a municipality and town located in the province of South Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands.
An affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies north of that city on the N44/A44 highway near the Nort ...
, a municipality in South Holland
*
Westenra, an Irish surname derived from Van Wassenaer
Literature
* J.C. Kort and R.C. Hol: ''Wassenaer, de oudste: Het archief van de familie Van Wassenaer van Duvenvoorde in Hollands archiefperspectief. Inventaris van het archief van de familie Van Wassenaer van Duvenvoorde, 1266–1996'', Verloren b.v., Hilversum, 2002.
*Nederland's Adelsboek 97 (2012), p. 131-188.
External links
Website of the van Wassenaer family
{{Authority control
Wassenaer
Barons of the Netherlands
Wassenaar